North Dakota officials request meeting with Obama Department of Justice regarding implementation of state hemp law and are denied.

On Nov. 16, 2009, top North Dakota government officials (Governor Hoeven, Majority Leader Monson, Attorney General Stenhejem, Agriculture Commissioner Goehring) sent a letter requesting a meeting with Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) officials regarding implementation of their state hemp farming law.  On January 14, 2010, they received a short reply from DOJ official Spencer Overton saying the request had been referred to the DEA for a response.  The DEA did subsequently.

The Department of Justice response to the meeting request finally came a year later on November 18, 2010 from Charles R. Gross, Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice, Office of Legal Policy, stating that the Department felt the meeting "is not likely to be productive." and that the Department did not want to "waste their time."

There have been numerous letters from officials in North Dakota to DEA and the U.S. Department of Justice. See below for a selection of them that are in our archives.

Please click here to read the November 16, 2009 letter from Governor John Hoeven, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, and Speaker of the House David Monson to Spencer Overton in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Please click here to read Spencer Overton's January 14, 2010 letter in reply to Commissioner Doug Goehring.

Please click here to read Joseph T. Rannazzisi's October 20, 2010 letter in reply to Commissioner Doug Goehring. (Joseph Rannazzisi is the DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control.)

Please click here to read Charles R. Gross's November 18, 2010 email in reply to North Dakota government official's request for a meeting. (Charles Gross is the Senior Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice., Office of Legal Policy and Joe Sandler is the counsel for Vote Hemp and the Hemp Industries Association.)

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